Absorbent Products Having Improved Packaging Efficiency

ABSTRACT

A package comprising an interior space and an exterior surface may have a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed within the interior space of the package. Each of the disposable absorbent articles may have a topsheet; a backsheet; a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet. The absorbent products may exhibit an In-Bag Stack Height of less about 80 mm as measured according to an In-Bag Stack Height Test.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/893,342, filed on Sep. 29, 2010, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. This application claims priority to Canadian Patent Application No. 2,678,090 filed on Sep. 29, 2009, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to absorbent products, and more particularly, to packages containing flexible disposable absorbent articles that exhibit improved packaging efficiency, resulting in smaller, more environmentally friendly products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, pant style diapers, training pants, adult incontinence undergarments, absorbent inserts, and the like absorb and contain body exudates. Such absorbent articles are intended to prevent body exudates from soiling, wetting, or otherwise contaminating clothing or other articles, such as bedding, that come into contact with a wearer of the absorbent articles. Absorbent articles may be worn for several hours in a dry state or in a urine (or other body exudates) loaded state. Efforts are made to constantly improve the fit and comfort of such absorbent articles both in the wet and dry state.

Many current absorbent articles, particularly those with airfelt (or cellulose) absorbent cores are soft and flexible when first placed in an undergarment, but become more stiff when wet. Such flexible-then stiff characteristics are seen in absorbent articles with other types of cores as well. Additionally, such airfelt (or cellulose) absorbent articles are typically bulky. Overall, traditional absorbent articles that utilize airfelt (or cellulose) are bulky and somewhat uncomfortable to wear.

Moreover, such airfelt (or cellulose) absorbent articles are inefficient to ship as the large amount of airspace in such articles (for example, between the cellulose fibers) translates into fewer absorbent articles per package and fewer packages per box. While product compression may increase packing efficiency of airfelt (or cellulose) absorbent articles, over compression reduces the absorbency effectiveness of such absorbent articles. Additionally, over compression can reduce aesthetic appeal of such absorbent articles by making the product stiff and uncomfortable to wear, or by reducing the apparent softness of individual components of the absorbent article, such as the absorbent core. Quite often, when absorbent pads containing cellulose are compressed to achieve a thin form, hard spots develop within the pads, thereby resulting in a stiffer pad and a lack of uniformity in the absorbent material.

Due to the high volume/weight ratio of traditional airfelt absorbent articles, most often shipping and packing of such articles is limited by volume instead of weight. In other words, a maximum container or vehicle volume is reached before a maximum container or vehicle weight capacity is reached when packing and/or shipping the traditional airfelt absorbent articles. This results in a shipping inefficiency due to the fact that the maximum weight bearing capacity of the container or vehicle is not being fully utilized. Essentially, shipping capacity is lost due to the amount of air within the absorbent articles that are being shipped.

Improvements have been made to absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, by including an absorbent polymer material (sometimes known as superabsorbent polymers), such as an absorbent particulate polymer material. Absorbent particulate polymer material absorbs liquid and swells and may be particularly effective when the absorbent particulate polymer is disposed in a particular pattern, arrangement, or matrix that optimizes absorbency, fit and/or comfort. Combinations of airfelt cores and absorbent polymer materials produce diapers that are thinner, more flexible, and more absorbent than previous diapers. This type of diaper construction is now prevalent and has been in use for some time. However, these diapers are still viewed to some extent as being bulky, stiff when wet, and inefficient to ship to various store locations.

It is therefore desirable to have an even thinner, less bulky diaper that is more comfortable to use, remains flexible when wet, and more cost effective to ship to various store locations. One option to reduce bulk is to reduce or eliminate airfelt from the absorbent core. The difficulty with this approach is that it would also necessitate the absorbent particulate polymer material remaining fixed in its intended location within the absorbent article without the airfelt core to help immobilize the material, regardless of whether the absorbent article is dry or wet. Several recent publications have disclosed diapers with reduced or eliminated airfelt cores combined with immobilized absorbent particulate polymer materials. For example, an absorbent article having a substantially airfelt free absorbent core is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0312617.

While the aforementioned application discloses an absorbent core for an absorbent article having a substantially airfelt free absorbent core, a need still exists for a mechanism to avoid hard, stiff spots in the article upon compressing to fit in a package. There further exists a need for a mechanism to fully optimize product delivery and shipping for such articles (optimization from the point of view of more articles per unit volume and less packaging per number of articles packed). These types of shipping efficiencies reduce the environmental impact of shipping such articles by reducing the number of pallets and the number of trucks needed to ship the articles to various store locations and warehouses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, an absorbent product includes a package having an interior space and an exterior surface; and a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed within the interior space of the package. Each of the disposable absorbent articles has a topsheet; a backsheet; a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet; a first waist region; a second waist region; a crotch region extending longitudinally between the first and second waist regions; and a fastening member extending laterally outward from the second waist region and adapted to releasably connect with a landing zone located in the first waist region. The absorbent product exhibits an In-Bag Stack Height of less about 80 mm as measured according to an In-Bag Stack Height Test.

In another embodiment, an absorbent product includes a package having an interior space and an exterior surface; and a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed within the interior space of the package. Each of the disposable absorbent articles has a topsheet; a backsheet; a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet; a first waist region; a second waist region; a crotch region extending longitudinally between the first and second waist regions; and a fastening member extending laterally outward from the second waist region and adapted to releasably connect with a landing zone located in the first waist region. The absorbent product exhibits a calculated Bag Utilization Factor of less than about 0.030 m²/pad/m.

In yet another embodiment, an absorbent product includes a package having an interior space and an exterior surface; and a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed within the interior space of the package. Each of the disposable absorbent articles has a chassis including a topsheet; a backsheet; a first waist region; a second waist region; and a crotch region extending longitudinally between the first and second waist regions. The absorbent product exhibits an In-Bag Stack Height of less about 80 mm as measured according to an In-Bag Stack Height Test and the disposable absorbent articles exhibit a longitudinal bending stiffness of less than about 355 N/m as measured according to a Stiffness Test.

In still yet another embodiment, an absorbent product includes a package having an interior space and an exterior surface; and a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed within the interior space of the package. Each of the disposable absorbent articles has a chassis including a topsheet; a backsheet; a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet; a first waist region; a second waist region; and a crotch region extending longitudinally between the first and second waist regions. The absorbent product exhibits an In-Bag Stack Height of less about 80 mm as measured according to an In-Bag Stack Height Test.

In still yet another embodiment, an absorbent product includes a package having an interior space and an exterior surface; and a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed within the interior space of the package. Each of the disposable absorbent articles has a chassis including a topsheet; a backsheet; a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet; a first waist region; a second waist region; and a crotch region extending longitudinally between the first and second waist regions. The absorbent product exhibits a calculated Bag Utilization Factor of less than about 0.030 m²/pad/m.

In still yet another embodiment, an absorbent product includes a package having an interior space and an exterior surface; and a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed within the interior space of the package. Each of the disposable absorbent articles has a topsheet; a backsheet; a first waist region; a second waist region; a crotch region extending longitudinally between the first and second waist regions; and a fastening member extending laterally outward from the second waist region and adapted to releasably connect with a landing zone located in the first waist region. The absorbent articles are selected from the group consisting of baby and toddler diapers. The absorbent product exhibits an In-Bag Stack Height of less about 80 mm as measured according to an In-Bag Stack Height Test.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims which particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter that is regarded as the invention, it is believed the various embodiments will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an absorbent article having a substantially airfelt free absorbent core;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of an absorbent article of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view of an absorbent core layer of the absorbent article of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional view of an absorbent core in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 5A is side view of a package of absorbent articles in accordance with one embodiment showing the package width. The outer surface is illustrated as transparent for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 5B is a side view of a package of absorbent articles in accordance with one embodiment showing the package height. The outer surface is illustrated as transparent for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 5C is a perspective view of a package of absorbent articles in accordance with one embodiment showing the package depth;

FIG. 6A is a front plan view showing a stiffness test apparatus with an upper fixture assembly and a lower fixture assembly.

FIG. 6B is a front plan view showing the stiffness test apparatus with the upper fixture assembly engaging a test specimen.

FIG. 6C is a detailed front plan view of the upper fixture assembly;

FIG. 6D is a detailed view of the plunger blade of FIG. 6C;

FIG. 6E is a detailed right side view of the upper fixture assembly;

FIG. 6F is a detailed front plan view of the lower fixture assembly;

FIG. 7A is a side view of an absorbent article that has been bi-folded; and

FIG. 7B is a side view of an absorbent article that has been ti-folded.

The figures herein are not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

“Absorbent article” refers to devices that absorb and contain body exudates, and, more specifically, refers to devices that are placed against or proximity to the body of the wearer to absorb and contain the various exudates discharged from the body. Absorbent articles may include diapers, training pants, and adult incontinence undergarments.

“Absorbent core” means a structure typically disposed between a topsheet and backsheet of an absorbent article for absorbing and storing liquid received by the absorbent article and may comprise one or more substrates, absorbent polymer material disposed on the one or more substrates, and a thermoplastic composition on the absorbent particulate polymer material and at least a portion of the one or more substrates for immobilizing the absorbent particulate polymer material on the one or more substrates. In a multilayer absorbent core, the absorbent core may also include a cover later. The one or more substrates and the cover layer may comprise a nonwoven. Further, the absorbent core may be substantially cellulose free. The absorbent core includes the one or more substrates, the absorbent polymer material, the thermoplastic composition, optionally the cover layer and optionally auxiliary glue.

“Absorbent polymer material,” “absorbent gelling material,” “AGM,” “superabsorbent,” and “superabsorbent material” are used herein interchangeably and refer to substantially water-insoluble polymer particles that can absorb at least 5 times their weight of an aqueous 0.9% saline solution by way of an osmotic mechanism.

“Absorbent particulate polymer material” is used herein to refer to an absorbent polymer material which is in particulate form so as to be flowable in the dry state.

“Absorbent particulate polymer material area” as used herein refers to the area of the core wherein the first substrate and second substrate are separated by a multiplicity of superabsorbent particles. A boundary of the absorbent particulate polymer material area is defined by perimeters of overlapping shapes. There may be some extraneous superabsorbent particles outside of the perimeter between the first substrate and second substrate.

“Acquisition system” means a structure serving as a temporary reservoir for body fluids until the absorbent core can absorb the fluids. The acquisition system may be in direct contact with the absorbent core and resides between topsheet and the backsheet. The acquisition system may comprise a single layer or multiple layers, such as an upper acquisition layer facing towards the wearer's skin and a lower acquisition layer facing the garment of the wearer. The acquisition system may function to receive a surge of liquid, such as a gush of urine.

“Airfelt,” or “Cellulose” are used interchangeably herein and refer to comminuted wood pulp, which is a form of cellulosic fiber.

“Disposable” is used in its ordinary sense to mean an article that is disposed or discarded after a limited number of usage events over varying lengths of time, for example, less than about 20 events, less than about 10 events, less than about 5 events, or less than about 2 events.

“Diaper” refers to an absorbent article generally worn by infants and incontinent persons about the lower torso so as to encircle the waist and legs of the wearer and that is specifically adapted to receive and contain urinary and fecal waste. As used herein, term “diaper” also includes “pants” which is defined below.

“Fiber” and “filament” are used interchangeably.

A “nonwoven” is a manufactured sheet, web or batt of directionally or randomly orientated fibers, bonded by friction, and/or cohesion and/or adhesion, excluding paper and products which are woven, knitted, tufted, stitch-bonded incorporating binding yarns or filaments, or felted by wet-milling, whether or not additionally needled. The fibers may be of natural or man-made origin and may be staple or continuous filaments or be formed in situ. Commercially available fibers have diameters ranging from less than about 0.001 mm to more than about 0.2 mm and they come in several different forms: short fibers (known as staple, or chopped), continuous single fibers (filaments or monofilaments), untwisted bundles of continuous filaments (tow), and twisted bundles of continuous filaments (yarn). Nonwoven fabrics can be formed by many processes such as meltblowing, spunbonding, solvent spinning, electrospinning, and carding. The basis weight of nonwoven fabrics is usually expressed in grams per square meter (gsm).

“Infant” diaper refers to an absorbent article generally intended for babies that are from about 0 to 6 months old. Within this group of diapers, 4 sizes are common; premature infants (up to about 6 lbs), newborn infants (up to about 10 lbs), size 1 infants (generally from about 8 to 14 lbs), and size 2 infants (generally from about 12 to 18 lbs). It is common for design features of this type of diaper to focus on benefits such as softness and/or gentleness to skin.

“Baby” diaper refers to an absorbent article generally intended for babies that are from about 6 to 12 months old. Within this group of diapers, 5 sizes are common; size 3 (from about 16 to 28 lbs), size 4 (from about 22 to 37 lbs), size 5 (greater than about 27 lbs), size 6 (greater than about 35 lbs), and size 7 (greater than about 41 lbs). It is common for design features of this type of diaper to focus on benefits such as fit and stretch, thereby allowing the baby more flexibility in crawling or walking.

“Toddler” diapers refers to an absorbent article generally intended for babies that are older than about 12 months, and may be in life stage where they are learning to use a toilet facility. Within this group, there are 3 common sizes; size 4 (from about 16 to 34 lbs), size 5 (from about 30 to 40 lbs), and size 6 (greater than about 37 lbs). It is common for design features of this type of diaper to focus on benefits such as fit and ease of placement/removal, thereby allowing the baby more convenience as they are trained on toilet facility usage. These diapers may be designed as pants or training pants, as defined below, or may simply be larger size diapers. The overlapping weight ranges for the various sizes described above are to accommodate the various size and shapes of babies within each stage of development.

“Pant” or “training pant,” as used herein, refer to disposable garments having a waist opening and leg openings designed for infant or adult wearers. A pant may be placed in position on the wearer by inserting the wearer's legs into the leg openings and sliding the pant into position about a wearer's lower torso. A pant may be preformed by any suitable technique including, but not limited to, joining together portions of the article using refastenable and/or non-refastenable bonds (e.g., seam, weld, adhesive, cohesive bond, fastener, etc.). A pant may be preformed anywhere along the circumference of the article (e.g., side fastened, front waist fastened). While the terms “pant” or “pants” are used herein, pants are also commonly referred to as “closed diapers,” “prefastened diapers,” “pull-on diapers,” “training pants,” and “diaperpants.” Suitable pants are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,433, issued to Hasse, et al. on Sep. 21, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,234, issued to Buell et al. on Oct. 29, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,487, issued to Ashton on Sep. 19, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,489, issued to Johnson et al. on Sep. 19, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,464, issued to Van Gompel et al. on Jul. 10, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,861, issued to Nomura et al. on Mar. 3, 1992; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0233082 A1, entitled “Highly Flexible And Low Deformation Fastening Device”, filed on Jun. 13, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,545, issued to Kline et al. on Apr. 27, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,908, issued to Kline et al on Sep. 28, 1999.

“Substantially cellulose free” or “substantially airfelt free” is used herein to describe an article, such as an absorbent core, that contains less than 10% by weight cellulosic fibers, less than 5% cellulosic fibers, less than 1% cellulosic fibers, no cellulosic fibers, or no more than an immaterial amount of cellulosic fibers. An immaterial amount of cellulosic material would not materially affect the thinness, flexibility, or absorbency of an absorbent core. For example, the % by weight cellulose fiber for an absorbent core is calculated based upon using the total weight of absorbent particulate polymer material and cellulose fiber found in the absorbent core.

“Substantially continuously distributed” as used herein indicates that within the absorbent particulate polymer material area, the first substrate and second substrate are separated by a multiplicity of superabsorbent particles. It is recognized that there may be minor incidental contact areas between the first substrate and second substrate within the absorbent particulate polymer material area. Incidental contact areas between the first substrate and second substrate may be intentional or unintentional (e.g. manufacturing artifacts) but do not form geometries such as pillows, pockets, tubes, quilted patterns and the like.

“Thermoplastic adhesive material” as used herein is understood to comprise a polymer composition from which fibers are formed and applied to the superabsorbent material with the intent to immobilize the superabsorbent material in both the dry and wet state. The thermoplastic adhesive material of the present invention forms a fibrous network ova the superabsorbent material.

“Thickness” and “caliper” are used herein interchangeably.

“In-Bag Compression” as used herein is one minus the height of a stack of 10 diaper pads in millimeters, measured while under compression within a ply-bag (In-Bag Stack height), divided by the height of a stack of 10 diaper pads of the same type before compression, multiplied by 100; i.e., (1—in-Bag Stack Height/stack height before compression)×100, reported as a percentage.

An absorbent article having a substantially airfelt free absorbent core is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0312617, owned by The Procter and Gamble Company. An absorbent article having a substantially airfelt free absorbent core, such as a diaper, is shown in FIG. 1. The diaper 10 is shown in its flat out, uncontracted state (i.e., without elastic induced contraction) and portions of the diaper 10 are cut away to more clearly show the underlying structure of the diaper 10. A portion of the diaper 10 that contacts a wearer is facing the viewer in FIG. 1. The diaper 10 generally may comprise a chassis 12 and an absorbent core 14 disposed in the chassis.

The chassis 12 of the diaper 10 in FIG. 1 may comprise the main body of the diaper 10. The chassis 12 may comprise an outer covering 16 including a topsheet 18, which may be liquid pervious, and/or a backsheet 20, which may be liquid impervious. The absorbent core 14 may be encased between the topsheet 18 and the backsheet 20. The chassis 12 may also include side panels 22, elasticized leg cuffs 24, and an elastic waist feature 26.

The leg cuffs 24 and the elastic waist feature 26 may each typically comprise elastic members 28. One end portion of the diaper 10 may be configured as a first waist region 30 of the diaper 10. An opposite end portion of the diaper 10 may be configured as a second waist region 32 of the diaper 10. An intermediate portion of the diaper 10 may be configured as a crotch region 34, which extends longitudinally between the first and second waist regions 30 and 32. The waist regions 30 and 32 may include elastic elements such that they gather about the waist of the wearer to provide improved fit and containment (elastic waist feature 26). The crotch region 34 is that portion of the diaper 10 which, when the diaper 10 is worn, is generally positioned between the wearer's legs.

The diaper 10 is depicted in FIG. 1 with its longitudinal axis 36 and its transverse axis 38. A periphery 40 of the diaper 10 is defined by the outer edges of the diaper 10 in which the longitudinal edges 42 run generally parallel to the longitudinal axis 36 of the diaper 10 and the end edges 44 run between the longitudinal edges 42 generally parallel to the transverse axis 38 of the diaper 10. The chassis 12 may also comprise a fastening system, which may include at least one fastening member 46 and at least one stored landing zone 48.

The diaper 10 may also include such other features as are known in the art including front and rear ear panels, waist cap features, elastics and the like to provide better fit, containment and aesthetic characteristics. Such additional features are well known in the art and are e.g., described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,003 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,092.

In order to keep the diaper 10 in place about the wearer, at least a portion of the first waist region 30 may be attached by the fastening members 46 to at least a portion of the second waist region 32 to form leg opening(s) and an article waist. When fastened, the fastening system carries a tensile load around the article waist. The fastening system may allow an article user to hold one element of the fastening system, such as the fastening member 46, and connect the first waist region 30 to the second waist region 32 in at least two places. This may be achieved through manipulation of bond strengths between the fastening device elements. In one embodiment, fastening member 46 may include tape tab fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, mushroom and loop fasteners, snaps, pins, belts and the like, and combinations thereof. Typically, fastening member 46 is configured to be refastenable or re-closable. In some embodiments, fastening member 46 may be adapted to engage or otherwise join with a fastening element, for example, the outer covering 16. In other embodiments, the fastening element may be a fastener landing zone 48. Fastener landing zone 48 may be a piece of loop material located on the outer covering 16 in the front waist region 30 and is adapted to engage a hook-type fastening member 46. In alternative embodiments, the landing zone 48 may be a film adapted to engage with a tape tab fastening member 46.

The diaper 10 may be provided with a re-closable fastening system or may alternatively be provided in the form of a pant-type diaper. When the absorbent article is a diaper, it may comprise a re-closable fastening system joined to the chassis for securing the diaper to a wearer. When the absorbent article is a pant-type diaper, the article may comprise at least two side panels joined to the chassis and to each other to form a pant. The fastening system and any component thereof may include any material suitable for such a use, including but not limited to plastics, films, foams, nonwoven, woven, paper, laminates, fiber reinforced plastics and the like, or combinations thereof. The materials making up the fastening device may be flexible. The flexibility may allow the fastening system to conform to the shape of the body and thus, reduce the likelihood that the fastening system will irritate or injure the wearer's skin.

For unitary absorbent articles, the chassis 12 and absorbent core 14 may form the main structure of the diaper 10 with other features added to form the composite diaper structure. While the topsheet 18, the backsheet 20, and the absorbent core 14 may be assembled in a variety of well-known configurations, some diaper configurations are described generally in U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,145 entitled “Absorbent Article With Multiple Zone Structural Elastic-Like Film Web Extensible Waist Feature” issued to Roe et al. on Sep. 10, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,234 entitled “Disposable Pull-On Pant” issued to Buell et al. on Oct. 29, 1996; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,306 entitled “Absorbent Article With Multi-Directional Extensible Side Panels” issued to Robles et al. on Dec. 21, 1999.

The topsheet 18 in FIG. 1 may be fully or partially elasticized or may be foreshortened to provide a void space between the topsheet 18 and the absorbent core 14. Exemplary structures including elasticized or foreshortened topsheets are described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,416 entitled “Disposable Absorbent Article Having Elastically Extensible Topsheet” issued to Allen et al. on Aug. 6, 1991; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,775 entitled “Trisection Topsheets for Disposable Absorbent Articles and Disposable Absorbent Articles Having Such Trisection Topsheets” issued to Freeland et al. on Dec. 14, 1993.

The backsheet 26 may be joined with the topsheet 18. The backsheet 20 may prevent the exudates absorbed by the absorbent core 14 and contained within the diaper 10 from soiling other external articles that may contact the diaper 10, such as bed sheets and undergarments. The backsheet 26 may be substantially impervious to liquids (e.g., urine) and comprise a laminate of a nonwoven and a thin plastic film such as a thermoplastic film having a thickness of about 0.012 mm (0.5 mil) to about 0.051 mm (2.0 mils). Suitable backsheet films include those manufactured by Tredegar Industries Inc. of Terre Haute, Ind. and sold under the trade names X15306, X10962, and X10964. Other suitable backsheet materials may include breathable materials that permit vapors to escape from the diaper 10 while still preventing liquid exudates from passing through the backsheet 10. Exemplary breathable materials may include materials such as woven webs, nonwoven webs, composite materials such as film-coated nonwoven webs, and microporous films such as manufactured by Mitsui Toatsu Co., of Japan under the designation ESPOIR NO® and by EXXON Chemical Co., of Bay City, Tex., under the designation EXXAIRE®. Suitable breathable composite materials comprising polymer blends are available from Clopay Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio under the name HYTREL® blend P183097. Such breathable composite materials are described in greater detail in PCT Application No. WO 95/16746, published on Jun. 22, 1995 in the name of E.I. DuPont. Other breathable backsheets including nonwoven webs and apertured formed films are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,096 issued to Dobrin et al. on Nov. 5, 1996.

The backsheet may have a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of greater than about 2000 g/24 h/m², greater than about 3000 g/24 h/m², greater than about 5000 g/24 h/m², greater than about 6000 g/24 h/m², greater than about 7000 g/24 h/m², greater than about 8000 g/24 h/m², greater than about 9000 g/24 h/m², greater than about 10000 g/24 h/m², greater than about 11000 g/24 h/m², greater than about 12000 g/24 h/m², greater than about 15000 g/24 h/m², measured according to WSP 70.5 (08) at 37.8.° C. and 60% Relative Humidity.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the diaper 10 of FIG. 1 taken along the sectional line 2-2 of FIG. 1. Starting from the wearer facing side, the diaper 10 may comprise the topsheet 18, the components of the absorbent core 14, and the backsheet 20. The diaper 10 may also comprise an acquisition system 50 disposed between the liquid permeable topsheet 18 and the backsheet 20. In one embodiment, the diaper 10 may comprise an acquisition system 50 disposed between the liquid permeable topsheet 18 and a wearer facing side of the absorbent core 14. The acquisition system 50 may be in direct contact with the absorbent core 14. The acquisition system 50 may comprise a single layer or multiple layers, such as an upper acquisition layer 52 facing towards the wearer's skin and a lower acquisition 54 layer facing the garment of the wearer. The acquisition system 50 may function to receive a surge of liquid, such as a gush of urine. In other words, the acquisition system 50 may serve as a temporary reservoir for liquid until the absorbent core 14 can absorb the liquid.

The lower acquisition layer 54 may have a high fluid uptake capability. Fluid uptake is measured in grams of absorbed fluid per gram of absorbent material and is expressed by the value of “maximum uptake.” A high fluid uptake corresponds therefore to a high capacity of the material and is beneficial, because it ensures the complete acquisition of fluids to be absorbed by an acquisition material. The lower acquisition layer 54 may have a maximum uptake of about 10 g/g.

A relevant attribute of the upper acquisition layer 54 is its Median Desorption Pressure, MDP. The MDP is a measure of the capillary pressure that is required to dewater the lower acquisition layer 54 to about 50% of its capacity at 0 cm capillary suction height under an applied mechanical pressure of 0.3 psi. Generally, a relatively lower MDP may be useful. The lower MDP may allow the lower acquisition layer 54 to more efficiently drain the upper acquisition material. The ability of the lower acquisition layer 54 to move liquid vertically via capillary forces will be directly impacted by gravity and the opposing capillary forces associated with desorption of the upper acquisition layer. Minimizing these capillary forces may positively impact the performance of the lower acquisition layer 54. However, the lower acquisition layer 54 may also have adequate capillary absorption suction in order to drain the layers above (upper acquisition layer 52 and topsheet 18, in particular) and to temporarily hold liquid until the liquid can be partitioned away by the absorbent core components. Therefore, the lower acquisition layer 54 may have a minimum MDP of greater than 5 cm. Further, the lower acquisition layer 54 has an MDP value of less than about 20.5 cm H₂O, or less than about 19 cm H₂O, or less than about 18 cm H₂O to provide for fast acquisition.

In one embodiment, the absorbent core 14 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 generally is disposed between the topsheet 18 and the backsheet 20 and comprises two layers, a first absorbent layer 60 and a second absorbent layer 62. As best shown in FIG. 3, the first absorbent layer 60 of the absorbent core 14 comprises a substrate 64, an absorbent particulate polymer material 66 on the substrate 64, and a thermoplastic composition 68 on the absorbent particulate polymer material 66 and at least portions of the first substrate 64 as an adhesive for covering and immobilizing the absorbent particulate polymer material 66 on the first substrate 64. The first absorbent layer 60 of the absorbent core 14 may also include a cover layer (not shown) on the thermoplastic composition 68.

Likewise, as best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the second absorbent layer 62 of the absorbent core 14 may also include a substrate 72, an absorbent particulate polymer material 74 on the second substrate 72, and a thermoplastic composition 76 on the absorbent particulate polymer material 74 and at least a portion of the second substrate 72 for immobilizing the absorbent particulate polymer material 74 on the second substrate 72. Although not illustrated, the second absorbent layer 62 may also include a cover layer.

The substrate 64 of the first absorbent layer 60 may be referred to as a dusting layer and has a first surface 78 (FIG. 3) which faces the backsheet 20 of the diaper 10 and a second surface 80 which faces the absorbent particulate polymer material 66. Likewise, the substrate 72 of the second absorbent layer 62 may be referred to as a core cover and has a first surface facing the topsheet 18 of the diaper 10 and a second surface facing the absorbent particulate polymer material 74. The first and second substrates 64 and 72 may be adhered to one another with adhesive about the periphery to form an envelope about the absorbent particulate polymer materials 66 and 74 to hold the absorbent particulate polymer material 66 and 74 within the absorbent core 14.

The substrates 64 and 72 of the first and second absorbent layers 60 and 62 may be a non-woven material. The non-wovens may be porous and may have a pore size of about 32 microns.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the absorbent particulate polymer material 66 and 74 is deposited on the respective substrates 64 and 72 of the first and second absorbent layers 60 and 62 in clusters 90 of particles to form a grid pattern comprising land areas 94 and junction areas 96 between the land areas 94. As defined herein, land areas 94 are areas where the thermoplastic adhesive material does not contact the nonwoven substrate or the auxiliary adhesive directly; junction areas 96 are areas where the thermoplastic adhesive material does contact the nonwoven substrate or the auxiliary adhesive directly. The junction areas 96 in the grid pattern contain little or no absorbent particulate polymer material 66 and 74. The land areas 94 and junction areas 96 can have a variety of shapes including, but not limited to, circular, oval, square, rectangular, triangular, any polygon shape, and the like.

The size of the land areas 94 may vary. The width of the land areas 94 may range from about 8 mm to about 12 mm. The junction areas 96, on the other hand, may have a width or larger span of less than about 5 mm, less than about 3 mm, less than about 2 mm, less than about 1.5 mm, less than about 1 mm, or less than about 0.5 mm.

The junction areas 96 can be disposed in a regular or irregular pattern. In one embodiment, the arrangement of land areas 94 and junction areas 96 forms an angle which may be 0 degrees, greater than 0 degrees, or 15 to 30 degrees, or from about 5 to about 85 degrees, or from about 10 to about 60 degrees, or from about 15 to about 30 degrees.

The first and second absorbent layers 60 and 62 may be combined together to form the absorbent core 14 such that the layers may be offset such that the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 is substantially continuously distributed across the absorbent polymer area. In a certain embodiment, absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 is substantially continuously distributed across the absorbent polymer material area despite absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 discontinuously distributed across the first and second substrates 64 and 72 in clusters 90. In a certain embodiment, the absorbent layers may be offset such that the land areas 94 of the first absorbent layer 60 face the junction areas 96 of the second absorbent layer 62 and the land areas of the second absorbent layer 62 face the junction areas 96 of the first absorbent layer 60. When the land areas 94 and junction areas 96 are appropriately sized and arranged, the resulting combination of absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 is a substantially continuous layer of absorbent polymer material across the absorbent polymer material area of the absorbent core 14 (i.e. first and second substrates 64 and 72 do not form a plurality of pockets, each containing a cluster 90 of absorbent particulate polymer material 66 therebetween).

In a certain embodiment, the amount of absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 may vary along the length of the core. The amount of absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 present in the absorbent core 14 may vary, but in certain embodiments, is present in the absorbent core in an amount greater than about 80% by weight of the absorbent core, or greater than about 85% by weight of the absorbent core, or greater than about 90% by weight of the absorbent core, or greater than about 95% by weight of the core. In a particular embodiment, the absorbent core 14 comprises first and second substrates 64 and 72, the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74, and the thermoplastic composition 68 and 76. In such an embodiment, the absorbent core 14 is substantially cellulose free.

It has been found that, for most absorbent articles such as diapers, the liquid discharge occurs predominately in the front half of the diaper. The front half of the absorbent core 14 should therefore comprise most of the absorbent capacity of the core. Thus, according to certain embodiments, the front half of said absorbent core 14 may comprise more than about 60% of the superabsorbent material, or more than about 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90% of the superabsorbent material. The front half is defined as the region between the midpoint on the longitudinal axis 36 and the end edge 44 disposed in the first waist region 30.

In certain embodiments, the absorbent core 14 may further comprise any absorbent material that is generally compressible, conformable, non-irritating to the wearer's skin, and capable of absorbing and retaining liquids such as urine and other certain body exudates. In such embodiments, the absorbent core 14 may comprise a wide variety of liquid-absorbent materials commonly used in disposable diapers and other absorbent articles such as comminuted wood pulp, which is generally referred to as airfelt, creped cellulose wadding, melt blown polymers, including co-form, chemically stiffened, modified or cross-linked cellulosic fibers, tissue, including tissue wraps and tissue laminates, absorbent foams, absorbent sponges, or any other known absorbent material or combinations of materials. The absorbent core 14 may further comprise minor amounts (typically less than about 10%) of materials, such as adhesives, waxes, oils and the like.

Exemplary absorbent structures for use as the absorbent assemblies are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,678 (Weisman et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,735 (Alemany et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,231 (Angstadt); U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,345 (DesMarais et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,207 (Dyer et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,316 (LaVon et al.); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,222 (DesMarais et al.).

In one embodiment, the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 may serve to cover and at least partially immobilize the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74. In one embodiment, the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 can be disposed essentially uniformly within the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74, between the polymers. However, in a certain embodiment, the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 may be provided as a fibrous layer which is at least partially in contact with the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 and partially in contact with the substrate layers 64 and 72 of the first and second absorbent layers 60 and 62. FIG. 4 shows such a structure, and in that structure, the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 is provided as a discontinuous layer, and a layer of fibrous thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 is laid down onto the layer of absorbent polymer material 66 and 74, such that the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 is in direct contact with the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74, but also in direct contact with the second surfaces 80 and 84 of the substrates 64 and 72, where the substrates are not covered by the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74. This imparts an essentially three-dimensional structure to the fibrous layer of thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76, which in itself is essentially a two-dimensional structure of relatively small thickness, as compared to the dimension in length and width directions. In other words, the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 undulates between the absorbent polymer material 68 and 76 and the second surfaces of the substrates 64 and 72.

Thereby, the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 may provide cavities to cover the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74, and thereby immobilizes this material. In a further aspect, the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 bonds to the substrates 64 and 72 and thus affixes the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 to the substrates 64 and 72. Some thermoplastic adhesive materials will also penetrate into both the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 and the substrates 64 and 72, thus providing for further immobilization and affixation. Of course, while the thermoplastic adhesive materials disclosed herein provide a much improved wet immobilization (i.e., immobilization of absorbent material when the article is wet or at least partially loaded), these thermoplastic adhesive materials may also provide a very good immobilization of absorbent material when the absorbent core 14 is dry. The thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 may also be referred to as a hot melt adhesive.

Without wishing to be bound by theory, it has been found that those thermoplastic adhesive materials which are most useful for immobilizing the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 combine good cohesion and good adhesion behavior. Good adhesion may promote good contact between the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 and the absorbent particulate polymer material 66 and 74 and the substrates 64 and 72. Good cohesion reduces the likelihood that the adhesive breaks, in particular in response to external forces, and namely in response to strain. When the absorbent core 14 absorbs liquid, the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 swells and subjects the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 to external forces. In certain embodiments, the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 may allow for such swelling, without breaking and without imparting too many compressive forces, which would restrain the absorbent polymer material 66 and 74 from swelling.

In accordance with certain embodiments, the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 may comprise, in its entirety, a single thermoplastic polymer or a blend of thermoplastic polymers, having a softening point, as determined by the ASTM Method D-36-95 “Ring and Ball”, in the range between 50° C. and 300° C., or alternatively the thermoplastic adhesive material may be a hot melt adhesive comprising at least one thermoplastic polymer in combination with other diluents such as tackifying resins, plasticizers and additives such as antioxidants. In certain embodiments, the thermoplastic polymer has typically a molecular weight (Mw) of more than 10,000 and a glass transition temperature (Tg) usually below room temperature or −6° C.>Tg<16° C. In certain embodiments, typical concentrations of the polymer in a hot melt are in the range of about 20 to about 40% by weight. In certain embodiments, thermoplastic polymers may be water insensitive. Exemplary polymers are (styrenic) block copolymers including A-B-A triblock structures, A-B diblock structures and (A-B)n radial block copolymer structures wherein the A blocks are non-elastomeric polymer blocks, typically comprising polystyrene, and the B blocks are unsaturated conjugated diene or (partly) hydrogenated versions of such. The B block is typically isoprene, butadiene, ethylene/butylene (hydrogenated butadiene), ethylene/propylene (hydrogenated isoprene), and mixtures thereof.

Other suitable thermoplastic polymers that may be employed are metallocene polyolefins, which are ethylene polymers prepared using single-site or metallocene catalysts. Therein, at least one comonomer can be polymerized with ethylene to make a copolymer, terpolymer or higher order polymer. Also applicable are amorphous polyolefins or amorphous polyalphaolefins (APAO) which are homopolymers, copolymers or terpolymers of C2 to C8 alpha olefins.

In exemplary embodiments, the tackifying resin typically has a Mw below 5,000 and a Tg usually above room temperature, typical concentrations of the resin in a hot melt are in the range of about 30 to about 60%, and the plasticizer has a low Mw of typically less than 1,000 and a Tg below room temperature, with a typical concentration of about 0 to about 15%.

In certain embodiments, the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 is present in the form of fibers. In some embodiments, the fibers will have an average thickness of from about 1 to about 50 micrometers or from about 1 to about 35 micrometers and an average length of from about 5 mm to about 50 mm or from about 5 mm to about 30 mm. To improve the adhesion of the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 to the substrates 64 and 72 or to any other layer, in particular any other non-woven layer, such layers may be pre-treated with an auxiliary adhesive.

The absorbent core 14 may also comprise an auxiliary adhesive which is not illustrated in the figures. The auxiliary adhesive may be deposited on the first and second substrates 64 and 72 of the respective first and second absorbent layers 60 and 62 before application of the absorbent particulate polymer material 66 and 74 for enhancing adhesion of the absorbent particulate polymer materials 66 and 74 and the thermoplastic adhesive material 68 and 76 to the respective substrates 64 and 72. The auxiliary glue may also aid in immobilizing the absorbent particulate polymer material 66 and 74 and may comprise the same thermoplastic adhesive material as described hereinabove or may also comprise other adhesives including but not limited to sprayable hot melt adhesives, such as H.B. Fuller Co. (St. Paul, Minn.) Product No. HL-1620-B. The auxiliary glue may be applied to the substrates 64 and 72 by any suitable means, but according to certain embodiments, may be applied in about 0.5 to about 1 mm wide slots spaced about 0.5 to about 2 mm apart.

In addition to being thin, flexible, absorbent, and more comfortable to wear, these types of absorbent articles have an unexpected benefit. These absorbent articles can be compressed to higher levels during production, packing, and storage than previous airfelt core absorbent articles without causing an in-use increase in product stiffness due to over compression. The increase in compressibility provides multiple cost-savings benefits; lower shipping costs lower storage/warehousing costs, reduced packaging costs, reduced shelving/stocking costs, lower disposal costs, etc. The increase in compressibility also provides smaller package sizes by reducing the in-bag stack thickness or in-bag stack height for unopened packages of absorbent articles resulting in more environmentally friendly packaging.

In one embodiment, absorbent products according to the present disclosure may have an in-bag stack height of less than about 80 mm according to the In-Bag Stack Height Test described herein. In another embodiment, absorbent products according to the present disclosure may have an in-bag stack height of less than about 78 mm and in another embodiment of less than 76 mm according to the In-Bag Stack Height Test described herein. In another embodiment, absorbent products may have an In-Bag Stack Height of from about 72 mm to about 80 mm and in yet another embodiment of from about 74 mm to about 78 mm.

Typically, products such as absorbent articles are not sold individually, but rather are sold in packages containing a plurality of absorbent articles. For example, smaller absorbent articles, such as infant diapers may be sold in packages of thirty or more diapers, while toddler training pants may be sold in packages of twelve to eighteen training pants. In one embodiment, the absorbent articles are packaged in a poly bag. In another embodiment, the package may be a plastic “shrink-wrap” container. As shown in FIG. 5 a, package 100 is a poly bag. Package 100 has an interior space 102, an exterior surface 112 and a height, width, and depth dimension. Package 100 may be any shape known in the art. For example, the package may have a polyhedral shape defining or forming a polyhedral enclosure. Interior 102 defines an interior space for containing absorbent articles 104. In one embodiment, the absorbent articles may all be identical to one another.

The absorbent articles 104 are arranged to form a stack 106 within interior 102. The articles may be stacked in any direction. As used herein, the term “stack” means an orderly pile. For example, the articles may be stacked vertically, horizontally, or at any angle inside the interior of the package. As shown in FIG. 5 a, package 100 has a package width 108 that is defined as the maximum distance between the two highest bulging points along the same compression stack axis 110 of the package. Absorbent articles according to the present disclosure can be bi-folded, as shown in FIG. 7 a, or tri-folded, as shown in FIG. 7 b. Other suitable folding techniques are also contemplated, for example, rolled or double bi-folded. The package 100 may also include a mechanism or means for accessing the interior space, for example, a gusset, a line of perforations, tabs, adhesive openings or any other means known in the art.

Package 100 may be composed of different materials or may be composed of substantially the same type of material. Package 100 may be composed of one layer or a laminate. The material can comprise a blown or cast film in a blend of low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene, metallocenes, ethylene vinyl acetate, surlyn, polyethylene terephtalate, biaxially oriented polypropylene, and/or nylon.

The number of absorbent articles placed in a package depends on several factors, including for example, folded dimensions, weight and a target compressibility range. For instance, Infant diapers (0-6 months) are expected to have a very soft backsheet feel for consumers when they hold or cuddle with their baby. To prevent a reduction in backsheet softness, these diapers are normally only compressed to between 30-38% within the product package, also known as in-bag compression, based on the number of pads contained in the package.

Baby diapers (6-12 months) and Toddlers (12-24+ months) do not have the same backsheet softness requirements as mothers are not spending as much time holding and cuddling babies within this age group. Within this age group, the diaper performance requirements (beyond absorbency) primarily relate to stretch, flexibility, and fit, and are associated with babies learning to crawl and walk. Diaper stiffness is an important product attribute for these diapers, and can be negatively affected by over-compression of product within the package. These diapers are normally compressed to between about 50 and 57% within the product package. Compression of these diapers beyond 57% leads to overall diaper stiffness associated with core over-compression.

Pants and training pants (24+ months) are designed with a focus on change-ability. Ease of pulling on and off as well as side-opening features are the two most important elements of these diapers. Absorbency and softness are sacrificed in order to encourage potty training and to minimize product costs. Therefore, diapers in this range are occasionally over-compressed beyond 57% to reduce material and shipping costs. However, backsheet roughness and overall diaper stiffness are seen as product negatives with the pants category.

Surprisingly, we have found that with Baby and Toddler size substantially airfelt free diapers, the target compressibility range can be increased without adversely affecting key consumer aesthetic attributes of the diaper (stiffness/flexibility, softness, etc.). For example, absorbent products according to the present disclosure may have an in-bag compression of greater than about 58%. In another embodiment, absorbent products may have an in-bag compression of from about 58% to about 62%, in another embodiment of from about 58.5% to about 61.5% and in yet another embodiment of from about 59% to about 61%. Further, the in-bag compression for absorbent products having substantially airfelt free diapers can be increased, while at the same time reducing stiffness and increasing flexibility. In one embodiment, absorbent products according to the present disclosure may include absorbent articles having a longitudinal bending stiffness of less than about 355 N/m according to the Stiffness Test described herein. In another embodiment, absorbent products may include absorbent articles having a longitudinal bending stiffness of less than about 325 N/m and in another embodiment of less than about 310 N/m. In another embodiment, absorbent products may include absorbent articles having a longitudinal bending stiffness of from about 285 N/m to about 355 N/m and in another embodiment of from about 295 N/m to about 345 N/m.

The effects of over compression on diapers with airfelt cores, measured in terms of stiffness, is illustrated in Table 1 below:

TABLE 1 Longitudinal Bending Stiffness Results for Sample Diapers and Pants Longitudinal Bending Stiffness Example (N/m) 1 699 2 530 3 619 4 641 5 554 6 470 7 507 Avg. 574 8 414 9 429 10 474 11 494 12 Not recorded due to instrument malfunction 13 392 14 437 Avg. 440 15 528 16 579 17 582 18 427 19 539 20 446 21 553 Avg. 522 22 286 23 325 24 325 25 355 26 299 27 285 28 286 Avg. 309

Examples 1-7 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LEARNING DESIGN (size 3/4T; bag count 23; Lot #b1919719F 19.1).

Examples 8-14 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS CRUISERS (size 5; bag count 28; Lot #9200U01766 05:16)

Examples 15-21 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS CRUISERS (size 5; bag count 25; Lot #9242U01764 11:50). 10 of these diapers were removed from the bag and compressed under conditions similar to Examples 22-28, i.e. a height of 40 mm for 2 seconds (intended to simulate the compression during transfer from the manufacturing line to the bagger for absorbent articles in accordance with the present disclosure) and then held at a height of 74 mm for 24 hours (intended to simulate the compression while in-bag for absorbent articles in accordance with the present disclosure). This demonstrates that current airfelt diapers compressed under conditions similar to Examples 22-28, adversely affects product stiffness.

Examples 22-28 are embodiments of absorbent articles in accordance with the present disclosure (size 5; bag count 40; Lot #9244U01762X1504). These examples were less stiff and thus more flexible than the other comparative diapers and pants having airfelt cores from Examples 1-21 above.

Stiffness is measured by the following test. FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate a Stiffness Test apparatus 300 used to measure the stiffness. The Stiffness Test apparatus 300 includes a constant rate of extension tensile tester 302 with computer interface (a suitable instrument is a MTS Alliance under Test Works 4 software, as available from MTS Systems Corp., Eden Prairie, Minn.) fitted with a 25 N load cell. The test apparatus 300 also includes an upper movable test fixture 304 and a lower stationary test fixture 306. A plunger blade 308 is used for the upper movable test fixture 304 and base support platforms 310 are used as the lower stationary test fixture 306. All testing is performed in a conditioned room maintained at 23° C.±2° C. and 50%±2% relative humidity. As discussed in more detail below, during stiffness testing, the upper fixture assembly 304 moves from a first position, such as shown in FIG. 7 a, to a second position, such as shown in FIG. 7 b, to engage and bend a test specimen 312 disposed on the lower stationary test fixture 306.

Components of the plunger blade 308 are made of aluminum to maximize the available load cell capacity. A shaft 314 is machined to fit the tensile tester and has a locking collar 316 to stabilize the plunger blade 308 and maintain alignment orthogonal to base support platforms 310. The plunger blade defines a length 318L of 300 mm long, a height 318H of 65 mm, and thickness 318T of 3.25 mm, and has a material contact edge 320 with a continuous radius 322 of 1.625 mm. A bracket 324 fitted with set screws 326 are used to level the blade and a main set screw 328 to firmly hold the plunger blade 308 in place after adjustment.

As shown in FIGS. 6 a and 6 b, the lower test fixture 306 is attached to the tensile tester 302 with a shaft 330 and locking collar 332. The two support platforms 310 are movably mounted on a rail 334. The two support platforms each have a test surface 336 having a width 336W of 85 mm and length of 300 mm (perpendicular to the plane of the drawing). The test surfaces 336 are made of polished stainless steel so as to have a minimal coefficient of friction. Each platform 310 has a digital position monitor 338 which reads the individual platform positions (to the nearest 0.01 mm), and set screws 340 to lock the positions of the platforms 310 after adjustment. The two platforms form a gap 342 with an adjustable gap width 344. The two platforms 310 are square at the gap edge and the plate edges must be parallel front to back. The surfaces 364 must be at the same height so as to be disposed within the same plane.

A test specimen 312 may include an absorbent article, shown for example, in FIG. 1. The following provides a description of the steps that are followed to carry out a Stiffness Test to determine the longitudinal bending stiffness of a test specimen 312. To test the longitudinal bending stiffness of a test specimen, the plunger blade is accurately aligned (±0.02 mm) so that the plunger blade is orthogonal to top surfaces 364 of the support platforms 310 and exhibits no skew relative to gap edges 366. Using the position monitors 338, the width 344 of the gap 342 is accurately set to 50.00±0.02 mm between the two gap edges 366 of the support platforms 310, with the plunger blade 308 accurately (±0.02 mm) centered in the gap 342. The tensile tester is programmed for a compression test. The gage length is set from the material contact edge 320 of the plunger blade 308 to the top surfaces 364 of the support platforms 310 to 25 mm. The crosshead is set to lower at 500 mm/min for a distance of 50 mm. The data acquisition rate is set to 200 Hz.

Test specimens are preconditioned at 23° C.±2° C. and 50%±2% relative humidity for 2 hours prior to testing. During preconditioning the specimens should remain compressed and sealed within its package until just before testing. The specimen is tested in the same folded configuration it was in the package and should not be tested more than once.

To test the longitudinal bending stiffness, specimen is placed flat onto the top surfaces 364 of the support platforms 310 over the gap 342 with the top side 358 facing upward. The test specimen is placed with the longitudinal axis 36 parallel to the length dimension of the plunger blade 308, and centered in the lateral 38 and the longitudinal 346 directions under the shaft 314 of the plunger blade. The load cell is zeroed and the tensile tester and the data acquisition are started.

The software is programmed to calculate the maximum peak force (N) and stiffness (N/m) from the force (N) versus displacement (m) curves. Stiffness is calculated as the slope of the force/displacement curve for the linear region of the curve, using a minimum line segment of at least 25% of the total peak force to calculate the slope. The stiffness is reported to the nearest 0.1 N/m. At least five samples are measured in this manner for a given product and the stiffness values are aggregated to calculate an average and standard deviation.

Consumers generally prefer smaller, more environmentally friendly packaging for products. As mentioned above, the increase in compressibility provides smaller package sizes and thus reduces the amount of packaging materials, for example, film material that is required per package of absorbent articles. One way to compare the amount of packaging materials used for absorbent articles is to calculate a bag or film utilization factor by measuring the package width, height and depth and calculating a surface area of the package utilizing the equation: Surface Area=(width×height×2)+(width×depth×2)+(height×depth×2). This package surface area is then divided by the bag pad count, i.e. the number of absorbent articles in the package, to give an area per pad result. However, such a calculation fails to account for differences associated with the size of diapers. Thus, one way to compare the bag utilization factor for different packages is to normalize for differences in Folded Stack Length of the absorbent articles within the package.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 a, package width 108 is defined as the maximum distance between the two highest bulging points along the same compression stack axis 110 of a diaper package. As illustrated in FIG. 5 b, package height 120 is defined as the maximum distance between the bottom panel and highest point of the top panel. As illustrated in FIG. 5 c, package depth 130 is defined as the maximum distance between the front and back panels of a diaper package.

Therefore, the Bag Utilization Factor can be determined by the following equation:

${{Bag}\mspace{14mu} {Utilization}\mspace{14mu} {Factor}\mspace{14mu} \left( {m^{2}\text{/}{pad}\text{/}m} \right)} = {\frac{{Surface}\mspace{14mu} {Area}\mspace{14mu} {of}\mspace{14mu} {Package}\mspace{14mu} {\left( {cm}^{2} \right)/{Bag}}\mspace{14mu} {Count}}{{Folded}\mspace{14mu} {Stack}\mspace{14mu} {Length}\mspace{14mu} ({cm})} \div 100}$

Using the averages of Examples 1-5 from Table 2 below, the Bag Utilization Factor is determined as follows:

${{Bag}\mspace{14mu} {Utilization}\mspace{14mu} {Factor}\mspace{14mu} \left( {m^{2}\text{/}{pad}\text{/}m} \right)} = {{\left( {16.3\mspace{14mu} {cm} \times 40.1\mspace{14mu} {cm} \times 2} \right){{\frac{{+ \left( {16.3\mspace{14mu} {cm} \times 11.0\mspace{14mu} {cm} \times 2} \right)} + \left( {40.1\mspace{14mu} {cm} \times 11.0\mspace{14mu} {cm} \times 2} \right)}{20.6\mspace{14mu} {cm}}/36} \div 100}} = {{3.436/100} = {0.034\mspace{14mu} m^{2}\text{/}{pad}\text{/}m}}}$

In one embodiment, absorbent products according to the present disclosure may have a bag utilization factor of less than 0.031 m²/pad/m. In another embodiment, absorbent products may have a bag utilization factor of less than about 0.030 m²/pad/m and in another embodiment of less than about 0.029 m²/pad/m. In another embodiment, absorbent products may have a bag utilization factor of from about 0.027 m²/pad/m to about 0.030 m²/pad/m.

Examples

The following Examples provide a comparison between diapers that are commercially available in the United States to diapers having optimized parameters according to the present disclosure. Tables 2-6 provide data for various diaper packages (folded stack length, in-bag stack height, and bag utilization factor) measured according to the Folded Stack Length Test and In-Bag Stack Height Test described in detail below.

TABLE 2 In-Bag Stack Height/Bag Utilization Factor Results for Sample Diaper Packages (Size 3) In- Pad Child Folded Bag Bag Count Wt. Stack Stack Utilization Height Width Depth Bag Per Range Length Ht Factor Example (mm) (mm) (mm) Count Stack (kg) (mm) (mm) (m²/pad/m)  1. 400 166 110 36 18 7-13 210 92 0.0340  2. 401 163 110 36 18 7-13 206 91 0.0344  3. 400 162 109 36 18 7-13 206 90 0.0340  4. 402 162 110 36 18 7-13 204 90 0.0346  5. 400 164 109 36 18 7-13 206 91 0.0343 Avg. 206 91 0.034  6. 211 284 217 52 26 7-13 210 109 0.0306  7. 216 289 220 52 26 7-13 209 111 0.0319  8. 213 281 217 52 26 7-13 208 108 0.0309  9. 213 285 218 52 26 7-13 210 110 0.0310 10. 208 274 223 52 26 7-13 208 105 0.0304 Avg. 209 109 0.031 11. 204 295 102 26 26 7-13 211 113 0.0405 12. 203 293 102 26 26 7-13 210 113 0.0403 13. 205 294 101 26 26 7-13 208 113 0.0409 14. 204 294 104 26 26 7-13 208 113 0.0413 15. 203 297 103 26 26 7-13 207 114 0.0415 Avg. 209 113 0.041 16. 198 327 111 38 38 7-13 200 86 0.0324 17. 197 328 111 38 38 7-13 205 86 0.0316 18. 189 327 111 38 38 7-13 196 86 0.0320 19. 187 329 112 38 38 7-13 196 87 0.0320 20. 194 330 113 38 38 7-13 204 87 0.0318 21. 193 334 114 38 38 7-13 205 88 0.0320 Avg. 201 87 0.032 22. 203 229 114 31 31 7-13 205 74 0.0301 23. 202 229 114 31 31 7-13 208 74 0.0296 24. 204 230 112 31 31 7-13 207 74 0.0298 25. 204 226 112 31 31 7-13 205 73 0.0297 26. 204 226 113 31 31 7-13 206 73 0.0297 Avg. 206 74 0.030 27. 393 203 113 52 26 7-13 206 78 0.0275 28. 396 209 111 52 26 7-13 206 80 0.0280 29. 392 207 110 52 26 7-13 204 80 0.0277 30. 391 206 112 52 26 7-13 202 79 0.0281 31. 392 207 110 52 26 7-13 204 80 0.0277 Avg. 204 79 0.028

Examples 1-5 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES SNUG & DRY (size 3; bag count 36; Lot #'s UT915306F 10:09; UT915306F 09:50; UT916806B 06:17; UT915306F 09:50; and UT9168068 06:17, respectively).

Examples 6-10 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LITTLE MOVERS (size 3; bag count 52; Lot #'s UT815001B 22:24; BI913412B 00:20; BI913412B 00:20; BI913412B 00:19; and BI913412B 00:20, respectively).

Examples 11-15 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES PURE & NATURAL (size 3; bag count 26; Lot # BI914617B 23:58—Ex. 11 and 12; BI920317B 06:00—Ex. 13; and BI920317B 01:19—Ex. 14 and 15).

Examples 16-21 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS CRUISERS (size 3; bag count 76; Lot #'s 9154U01142 02:35 15837—Ex. 16 and 17; 9192U01142 09:41 38287—Ex. 18 and 19; and 9095U01142 11:03 25875—Ex. 20 and 21).

Examples 22-26 are embodiments of absorbent products in accordance with the present disclosure (size 3; bag count 31; Lot #'s 9242U01762X1028; 9242U01762X1009—Ex. 23-26).

Examples 27-31 are embodiments of absorbent products in accordance with the present disclosure (size 3; bag count 52; Lot #'s 9242U01762X1251—Ex. 27 and 28 and 9242U011762X1317—Ex. 29-31).

TABLE 3 In-Bag Stack Height/Bag Utilization Factor Results for Sample Diaper Packages (Size 4) In- Pad Child Folded Bag Bag Count Wt. Stack Stack Utilization Height Width Depth Bag Per Range Length Ht Factor Example (mm) (mm) (mm) Count Stack (kg) (mm) (mm) (m²/pad/m) 32. 230 262 116 31 31 10-17 228 85 0.0332 33. 219 254 118 31 31 10-17 226 82 0.0318 34. 222 267 116 31 31 10-17 222 86 0.0337 35. 230 262 118 31 31 10-17 227 85 0.0336 36. 221 261 116 31 31 10-17 219 84 0.0335 Avg. 224 84 0.033 37. 212 340 220 32 32 10-17 218 106 0.0555 38. 220 336 222 32 32 10-17 223 105 0.0553 39. 215 339 224 32 32 10-17 221 106 0.0557 40. 209 337 218 32 32 10-17 215 105 0.0551 41. 211 337 219 32 32 10-17 215 105 0.0556 Avg. 218 106 0.055 42. 218 255 109 23 23 10-17 226 111 0.0412 43. 217 258 108 23 23 10-17 227 112 0.0411 44. 216 255 109 23 23 10-17 222 111 0.0417 45. 217 257 108 23 23 10-17 226 112 0.0411 46. 216 254 108 23 23 10-17 226 110 0.0406 Avg. 225 111 0.041 47. 218 233 110 27 27 10-17 225 86 0.0331 48. 218 233 111 27 27 10-17 222 86 0.0337 49. 218 232 111 27 27 10-17 225 86 0.0337 50. 217 239 111 27 27 10-17 219 89 0.0347 51. 219 233 114 27 27 10-17 221 86 0.0344 Avg. 222 87 0.034 52. 217 211 112 27 27 10-17 220 78 0.0316 53. 216 208 112 27 27 10-17 216 77 0.0317 54. 216 210 112 27 27 10-17 220 78 0.0313 55. 216 209 112 27 27 10-17 220 77 0.0312 56. 212 212 112 27 27 10-17 219 79 0.0313 Avg. 219 78 0.031 57. 212 344 121 46 46 10-17 221 75 0.0276 58. 213 344 117 46 46 10-17 220 75 0.0274 59. 213 345 120 46 46 10-17 220 75 0.0278 60. 214 349 118 46 46 10-17 221 76 0.0278 61. 211 348 119 46 46 10-17 222 76 0.0274 Avg. 221 75 0.028

Examples 32-36 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES SNUG & DRY (size 4; bag count 31; Lot #'s PA913908B 20:06; BI917716B 22:41; WP 920310 F; PA913908B 20:05; and WP 920310 F, respectively).

Examples 37-41 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LITTLE MOVERS (size 4; bag count 64; Lot #'s UT916502B 2049 #9917; BI916812X 10:15 82616; BI919112X 11:16 331403; UT917102F 10:01 4548; and UT917102F 09:57, respectively).

Examples 42-46 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES PURE & NATURAL (size 4; bag count 23; Lot #'s BI911212B 21:24—Ex. 42-44 and BI911212B 21:18—Ex. 45 and 46).

Examples 47-51 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS CRUISERS (size 4; bag count 27; Lot #'s 9200 UO1129 21:15—Ex. 47-49; 9194UO1129 11:46; and 9214 UO1754 19:30, respectively).

Examples 52-56 are embodiments of absorbent products in accordance with the present disclosure (size 4; bag count 27; Lot #'s 924762U01762X1755—Ex. 52, 53 and 55; and 924762U01762X1754—Ex. 54 and 56).

Examples 57-61 are embodiments of absorbent products in accordance with the present disclosure (size 4; bag count 46; Lot #9247U01762X10:36).

TABLE 4 In-Bag Stack Height/Bag Utilization Factor Results for Sample Diaper Packages (Size 5) In- Pad Child Folded Bag Bag Count Wt. Stack Stack Utilization Height Width Depth Bag Per Range Length Ht Factor Example (mm) (mm) (mm) Count Stack (kg) (mm) (mm) (m²/pad/m) 62. 235 304 120 35 35 12+ 232 87 0.0335 63. 234 304 121 35 35 12+ 229 87 0.0340 64. 234 295 119 35 35 12+ 236 84 0.0320 65. 235 294 118 35 35 12+ 230 84 0.0327 66. 234 302 122 35 35 12+ 232 86 0.0335 67. 235 305 121 35 35 12+ 233 87 0.0336 Avg. 232 86 0.033 68. 224 256 111 23 23 12+ 230 111 0.0418 69. 230 258 112 23 23 12+ 231 112 0.0429 70. 221 254 111 23 23 12+ 223 110 0.0424 71. 223 255 111 23 23 12+ 223 111 0.0429 72. 224 253 111 23 23 12+ 226 110 0.0422 Avg. 227 111 0.042 73. 215 261 104 20 20 12+ 221 131 0.0477 74. 217 264 102 20 20 12+ 221 132 0.0483 75. 215 261 102 20 20 12+ 224 130 0.0468 76. 222 269 95 20 20 12+ 227 134 0.0469 77. 214 262 104 20 20 12+ 223 131 0.0473 Avg. 223 132 0.047 78. 212 268 117 28 28 12+ 220 96 0.0367 79. 211 269 118 28 28 12+ 218 96 0.0372 80. 210 267 118 28 28 12+ 220 95 0.0365 81. 212 270 117 28 28 12+ 219 96 0.0371 82. 212 271 120 28 28 12+ 221 97 0.0373 83. 211 271 121 28 28 12+ 220 97 0.0375 Avg. 220 96 0.037 84. 214 302 120 40 40 12+ 223 76 0.0284 85. 213 304 118 40 40 12+ 226 76 0.0278 86. 216 304 120 40 40 12+ 225 76 0.0285 87. 216 302 119 40 40 12+ 225 76 0.0282 88. 216 304 118 40 40 12+ 222 76 0.0286 Avg. 224 76 0.028

Examples 62-67 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES SNUG & DRY (size 5; bag count 35; Lot #'s PA919002B 04:11—Ex. 62 and 63; BI907015X 02:03 16118—Ex. 64 and 65; and PA915502F 17:00—Ex. 66 and 67).

Examples 68-72 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LITTLE MOVERS (size 5; bag count 23; Lot #'s PA914807X 17:15; PA914907X 02:04; and PA917707B 04:55—Ex. 70-72, respectively).

Examples 73-77 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES PURE & NATURAL (size 5; bag count 20; Lot #'s UT918102F 16:33—Ex. 73-75; UT907802F 14:11; and UT918102F 14:45, respectively).

Examples 78-83 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS CRUISERS (size 5; bag count 56; Lot #'s 9208UO1130 08:07 02501—Ex. 78-81 and 9292UO1130 21:12 46676—Ex. 82 and 83).

Examples 84-88 are embodiments of absorbent products in accordance with the present disclosure (size 5; bag count 40; Lot #9244UO1762X1504).

TABLE 5 In-Bag Stack Height/Bag Utilization Factor Results for Sample Diaper Packages (Size 6) In- Pad Child Folded Bag Bag Count Wt. Stack Stack Utilization Height Width Depth Bag Per Range Length Ht Factor Example (mm) (mm) (mm) Count Stack (kg) (mm) (mm) (m²/pad/m) 89. 233 253 218 40 20 16+ 233 127 0.0354 90. 241 252 216 40 20 16+ 235 126 0.0356 91. 227 259 223 40 20 16+ 233 130 0.0359 92. 232 256 212 40 20 16+ 239 128 0.0341 93. 227 261 217 40 20 16+ 237 131 0.0348 Avg. 235 128 0.035 94. 237 219 108 20 20 16+ 238 110 0.0425 95. 235 220 108 20 20 16+ 240 110 0.0420 96. 233 220 110 20 20 16+ 235 110 0.0430 97. 237 217 111 20 20 16+ 238 109 0.0428 98. 232 219 111 20 20 16+ 237 110 0.0426 Avg. 238 110 0.043 99. 188 228 115 20 20 16+ 235 114 0.0386 100.  189 232 113 20 20 16+ 233 116 0.0392 101.  192 232 114 20 20 16+ 235 116 0.0395 102.  192 234 116 20 20 16+ 235 117 0.0401 103.  192 231 115 20 20 16+ 235 116 0.0396 Avg. 235 116 0.039

Examples 89-93 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES SNUG & DRY (size 6; bag count 40; Lot #'s PA901405B 03:52; PA901405B 03:54; WP 823109F; PA8142055 15:17; and PA901505F 14:41, respectively).

Examples 94-98 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LITTLE MOVERS (size 6; bag count 34; Lot #'s PA913107X 11:39; PA913107X 11:37; PA913207X 01:32; PA919007F 10:19; and PA910207X 23:21, respectively).

Examples 99-103 are commercially available airfelt diapers sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS CRUISERS (size 6; bag count 20; Lot #'s 9141UO17642235—Ex. 81-84 and 9155UO17641647).

TABLE 6 In-Bag Stack Height/Bag Utilization Factor Results for Sample Diaper Packages (Training Pants) In- Pad Child Folded Bag Bag Count Wt. Stack Stack Utilization Height Width Depth Bag Per Range Length Ht Factor Example (mm) (mm) (mm) Count Stack (kg) (mm) (mm) (m²/pad/m) 104. 272 249 125 27 27 17-29 274 92 0.0359 105. 277 248 123 27 27 17-29 275 92 0.0359 106. 276 258 117 27 27 17-29 274 96 0.0361 107. 275 256 117 27 27 17-29 278 95 0.0353 108. 272 246 125 27 27 17-29 272 91 0.0359 Avg. 272 93 0.036 109. 294 205 130 21 21  27-57+ 293 98 0.0407 110. 295 206 129 21 21  27-57+ 290 98 0.0412 111. 288 209 129 21 21  27-57+ 286 100 0.0414 112. 291 205 129 21 21  27-57+ 287 98 0.0410 113. 286 209 130 21 21  27-57+ 286 100 0.0413 Avg. 288 98 0.041 114. 266 166 124 15 15 17-29 268 111 0.0486 115. 268 169 121 15 15 17-29 268 113 0.0488 116. 269 170 122 15 15 17-29 270 113 0.0490 117. 269 169 122 15 15 17-29 268 113 0.0492 118. 270 167 122 15 15 17-29 269 111 0.0488 Avg. 269 112 0.049 119. 300 205 121 21 21  27-57+ 302 98 0.0387 120. 299 209 121 21 21  27-57+ 298 100 0.0396 121. 291 205 126 21 21  27-57+ 288 98 0.0404 122. 296 205 127 21 21  27-57+ 295 98 0.0401 123. 291 207 127 21 21  27-57+ 293 99 0.0401 Avg. 295 98 0.040 124. 216 279 132 44 44  8-15 211 63 0.0271 125. 220 279 132 44 44  8-15 215 63 0.0269 126. 219 277 134 44 44  8-15 215 63 0.0269 127. 219 279 134 44 44  8-15 218 63 0.0267 128. 218 279 132 44 44  8-15 216 63 0.0266 Avg. 215 63 0.027 129. 232 172 134 23 23 15-18 235 75 0.0348 130. 233 176 132 23 23 15-18 235 77 0.0352 131. 233 175 132 23 23 15-18 235 76 0.0350 132. 229 175 134 23 23 15-18 231 76 0.0355 133. 232 176 129 23 23 15-18 231 77 0.0352 Avg. 233 76 0.035 134. 240 156 130 19 19 17-23 240 82 0.0390 135. 241 156 130 19 19 17-23 238 82 0.0395 136. 243 156 130 19 19 17-23 240 82 0.0394 137. 238 152 133 19 19 17-23 239 80 0.0388 138. 243 153 133 19 19 17-23 235 81 0.0402 Avg. 238 81 0.039 139. 209 204 129 26 26  8-15 211 78 0.0350 140. 211 205 129 26 26  8-15 208 79 0.0358 141. 213 201 130 26 26  8-15 212 77 0.0351 142. 213 199 129 26 26  8-15 215 77 0.0342 143. 213 199 130 26 26  8-15 214 77 0.0345 Avg. 212 78 0.035 144. 227 176 131 23 23 15-18 228 77 0.0354 145. 227 174 132 23 23 15-18 228 76 0.0353 146. 231 175 131 23 23 15-18 229 76 0.0355 147. 230 172 132 23 23 15-18 227 75 0.0355 148. 226 178 133 23 23 15-18 230 77 0.0355 Avg. 228 76 0.035 149. 238 158 130 19 19 17-23 238 83 0.0394 150. 237 158 131 19 19 17-23 236 83 0.0398 151. 238 157 131 19 19 17-23 238 83 0.0394 152. 239 158 132 19 19 17-23 238 83 0.0399 153. 240 158 132 19 19 17-23 241 83 0.0395 Avg. 238 83 0.040 154. 214 196 129 26 26  8-15 219 75 0.0333 155. 215 196 128 26 26  8-15 218 75 0.0334 156. 218 195 128 26 26  8-15 218 75 0.0337 157. 215 196 129 26 26  8-15 218 75 0.0336 158. 210 202 126 26 26  8-15 217 78 0.0334 Avg. 218 76 0.033 159. 230 182 124 23 23 15-18 233 79 0.0347 160. 230 182 128 23 23 15-18 232 79 0.0355 161. 231 182 126 23 23 15-18 231 79 0.0354 162. 226 170 131 23 23 15-18 233 74 0.0337 163. 230 171 131 23 23 15-18 233 74 0.0343 Avg. 232 77 0.035 164. 236 160 130 19 19 17-23 237 84 0.0396 165. 235 161 131 19 19 17-23 236 85 0.0400 166. 236 160 131 19 19 17-23 238 84 0.0396 167. 235 160 135 19 19 17-23 240 84 0.0399 168. 236 163 133 19 19 17-23 239 86 0.0403 Avg. 238 85 0.040 169. 212 197 124 26 26  8-15 215 76 0.0311 170. 213 190 123 26 26  8-15 215 73 0.0322 171. 214 190 122 26 26  8-15 215 73 0.0322 172. 211 194 127 26 26  8-15 215 75 0.0330 173. 211 202 125 26 26  8-15 214 78 0.0339 Avg. 215 75 0.033 174. 230 172 131 23 23 15-18 235 75 0.0341 175. 232 173 131 23 23 15-18 233 75 0.0348 176. 228 171 131 23 23 15-18 233 74 0.0341 177. 226 172 132 23 23 15-18 235 75 0.0338 178. 226 171 131 23 23 15-18 234 74 0.0337 Avg. 234 75 0.034 179. 237 160 131 19 19 17-23 239 84 0.0396 180. 235 161 131 19 19 17-23 240 85 0.0393 181. 235 161 131 19 19 17-23 238 85 0.0397 182. 233 154 132 19 19 17-23 239 81 0.0383 183. 234 154 133 19 19 17-23 240 81 0.0384 Avg. 239 83 0.039 184. 219 265 118 26 26  7-15 218 102 0.0406 185. 216 265 120 26 26  7-15 220 102 0.0402 186. 219 267 118 26 26  7-15 220 103 0.0405 187. 220 269 120 26 26  7-15 220 103 0.0412 188. 219 266 118 26 26  7-15 215 102 0.0413 Avg. 219 102 0.041 189. 222 231 122 23 23 14-18 228 100 0.0406 190. 224 229 119 23 23 14-18 225 100 0.0407 191. 225 228 117 23 23 14-18 224 99 0.0405 192. 225 228 117 23 23 14-18 228 99 0.0398 193. 225 226 116 23 23 14-18 227 98 0.0395 Avg. 226 99 0.040 194. 218 263 117 26 26  7-15 222 101 0.0394 195. 219 265 116 26 26  7-15 224 102 0.0392 196. 215 266 118 26 26  7-15 216 102 0.0406 197. 217 267 116 26 26  7-15 220 103 0.0399 198. 218 263 117 26 26  7-15 220 101 0.0397 Avg. 220 102 0.040 199. 222 220 122 23 23 14-18 224 96 0.0399 200. 225 220 122 23 23 14-18 228 96 0.0396 201. 226 224 121 23 23 14-18 225 97 0.0406 202. 228 228 121 23 23 14-18 224 99 0.0416 203. 233 225 124 23 23 14-18 226 98 0.0420 Avg. 225 97 0.041 204. 245 213 119 17 17 17-29 256 125 0.0490 205. 247 212 120 17 17 17-29 255 125 0.0496 206. 245 214 118 17 17 17-29 255 126 0.0492 207. 248 212 119 17 17 17-29 252 125 0.0501 208. 241 215 119 17 17 17-29 247 126 0.0505 Avg. 253 125 0.050 209. 260 171 119 13 13 26-39 265 132 0.0556 210. 258 171 121 13 13 26-39 263 132 0.0562 211. 249 170 120 13 13 26-39 252 131 0.0565 212. 249 171 120 13 13 26-39 255 132 0.0561 213. 249 171 118 13 13 26-39 254 132 0.0558 Avg. 258 131 0.056 214. 248 216 118 17 17 17-29 256 127 0.0498 215. 244 214 119 17 17 17-29 253 126 0.0496 216. 250 212 118 17 17 17-29 255 125 0.0496 217. 245 213 120 17 17 17-29 247 125 0.0510 218. 245 214 121 17 17 17-29 245 126 0.0518 Avg. 251 126 0.050

Examples 104-108 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES GOOD NITES (girl S-M; bag count 27; Lot #'s PA19915B 23:25—Ex. 104, 105 and 108; PA916113X 17:29—Ex. 106; and PA916113X 17:31—Ex. 107).

Examples 109-113 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES GOOD NITES (girl L-XL; bag count 21; Lot #'s PA920414F 17:46—Ex. 109 and 110; PA915614B 01:54; PA915414F 10:38; and PA915614B 01:52).

Examples 114-118 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES GOOD NITES (boy S-M; bag count 15; Lot #'s PA917215F 15:09; PA917915F 16:02; PA917915F 16:04; PA916315F 10:44; and PA917915F 16:04, respectively).

Examples 119-123 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES GOOD NITES (boy L-XL; bag count 21; Lot #'s PA919613F 14:33—Ex. 119 and 120; and PA920914F 18:05—Ex. 121-123).

Examples 124-128 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LEARNING DESIGN (girl 2T/3T; bag count 44; Lot #'s PA920017F 07:03; PA920910B 03:55; PA919917B 06:28; and PA920910B 04:17—Ex. 127 and 128, respectively). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 129-133 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LEARNING DESIGN (girl 3T/4T; bag count 23; Lot #'s BI919619B 20:40; BI917919B 05:35—Ex. 130-132; and PA917009X 19:14, respectively). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 134-138 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LEARNING DESIGN (girl 4T/5T; bag count 19; Lot # PA921018F 10:48). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 139-143 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LEARNING DESIGN (boy 2T/3T; bag count 26; Lot #'s PA922610F08:48—Ex. 139 and 140; PA921210B23:28; PA92120B23:21; and PA92120B23:20). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 144-148 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LEARNING DESIGN (boy 3T/4T; bag count 23; Lot #'s PA92189B02:00—Ex. 144-147 and PA919312B03:07). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 149-153 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES LEARNING DESIGN (boy 4T/5T; bag count 19; Lot #'s PA920718F 12:39—Ex. 139-142; and PA915818X 03:06). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 154-158 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES COOL ALERT (girl 2T/3T; bag count 26; Lot #'s PA914610X 01:46—Ex. 154-157; and UT911011F 09:25). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 159-163 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES COOL ALERT (girl 3T/4T; bag count 23; Lot #'s UT911812B 23:34—Ex. 159 and 160; UT919412F07:36—Ex. 161; and BI917219B 03:11—Ex. 162 and 163). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 164-168 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES COOL ALERT (girl 4T/5T; bag count 19; Lot #'s UT909610B 23:35—Ex. 164-166; and BI912818F 08:46—Ex. 167 and 168). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 169-173 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES COOL ALERT (boy 2T/3T; bag count 26; Lot #'s WP919510F—Ex. 169-172; and PA914810X 18:23). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 174-178 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES COOL ALERT (boy 3T/4T; bag count 23; Lot #'s UT917312B 21:51—Ex. 174 and 175; UT917312B 17:43—Ex. 176 and 177; and UT917312F 17:42). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 179-183 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by Kimberly-Clark Corporation under the trademark HUGGIES COOL ALERT (boy 4T/5T; bag count 19; Lot #'s BI910818B 23:42—Ex. 179 and 180; PA911418X 02:48—Ex. 181; and BI919918B 01:34—Ex. 182 and 183). These particular examples do not have a substantially cellulose free absorbent core as defined herein.

Examples 184-188 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS EASY UPS (girl size 4; bag count 26; Lot #'s 9215U0175512:45; 9214U0175516:19—Ex. 185-187; and 9214U175512:46).

Examples 189-193 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS EASY UPS (girl size 5; bag count 23; Lot #'s 914U0112806:15; 9205U0175520:33; and 918U0175517:44—Ex. 191-193).

Examples 194-198 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS EASY UPS (boy size 4; bag count 26; Lot #'s 9109U01701R06:26—Ex. 194 and 195; 9191U0175503:59—Ex. 196 and 197; and 9109U1701R06:25).

Examples 199-203 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS EASY UPS (boy size 5; bag count 23; Lot #'s 9227U0175510:51—Ex. 199 and 200; 9123U0175504:27; 9207U175519:34; and 9207U0175519:30).

Examples 204-208 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS UNDERJAMS (girl size S/M; bag count 17; Lot #'s 9213U0112601:47—Ex. 204-207; and 9156U0112600:34).

Examples 209-213 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS UNDERJAMS (girl size L/XL; bag count 13; Lot #'s 9030U0112620:06; 9030U0112616:52; and 9136U0112600:40—Ex. 211-213).

Examples 214-218 are commercially available airfelt training pants sold by The Procter & Gamble Company under the trademark PAMPERS UNDERJAMS (boy size S/M; bag count 17; Lot #'s 9091U0112623:43; 9147U0112621:33; 9212U0112618L54; and 9220U0112603:23—Ex. 217 and 218).

Test Methods

The test methods and apparatus described below may be useful in testing embodiments of the present disclosure:

Stiffness Test

The Stiffness Test is described in detail above.

In-Bag Stack Height

The In-Bag Stack Height is determined as follows:

Equipment

-   -   Universal Diaper Packaging Tester (UDPT) (Model# M-ROEL;         Machine# MK-1071), including a horizontal sliding plate         (horizontal plate that moves up and down in a vertical plane)         for adding weights. It is counter-balanced by a suspended weight         to assure that no downward force is added from the horizontal         sliding plate assembly to the diaper package at all times. The         UDPT is available from Matsushita Industry Co. LTD, 7-21-101,         Midorigaoka-cho, Ashiya-city, Hyogo JAPAN. Zip code: 659-0014.     -   A 850 g (±5 g) weight.

Definitions

-   -   As illustrated in FIG. 5 a, package width 108 is defined as the         maximum distance between the two highest bulging points along         the same compression stack axis 110 of a diaper package.     -   In-Bag Stack Height=(Package Width/Pad Count Per Stack)×10 pads         of diapers.

Apparatus Calibration

-   -   Pull down the horizontal sliding plate until its bottom touches         the tester base plate.     -   Set the digital meter located at the side of the horizontal         sliding scale to zero mark.     -   Raise the horizontal sliding plate away from the tester base         plate.

Test Procedure

-   -   Put one of the side panel of the diaper package along its width         standing at the center of the tester base plate. Make sure the         vertical sliding plate (vertical plate that moves left and right         in a horizontal plane) is pulled to the right so it does not         touch the package being tested.     -   Add the 850 g weight onto the vertical sliding plate.     -   Allow the horizontal sliding plate to slide down slowly until         its bottom lightly touches desired highest point of the package.     -   Measure the package width in mm (distance from the top of the         base plate to the top of the diaper package). Record the reading         that appears on the digital meter.     -   Remove the 850 g weight.     -   Raise the horizontal sliding plate away from the diaper package.     -   Remove the diaper package.

Calculation/Reporting

-   -   Calculate and report the “In-Bag Stack Height”=(Package         Width/Pad Count Per Stack)×10.     -   Report Sample Identification, i.e. complete description of         product being tested (product brand name/size).     -   Report the determined value for each width measurement to the         nearest 1 mm. At least five diaper packages having the same pad         count are measured in this manner for a given product and the         in-bag stack height values are aggregated to calculate an         average and standard deviation.     -   Report the Production Date of the measured package (taken from         package coding).     -   Report the Testing Date and Analytical Method used.

Folded Stack Length

The Folded Stack Length is determined as follows:

Equipment

-   -   Universal Diaper Packaging Tester (UDPT) (Model# M-ROEL;         Machine# MK-1071), including a horizontal sliding plate         (horizontal plate that moves up and down in a vertical plane)         for adding weights. It is counter-balanced by a suspended weight         to assure that no downward force is added from the horizontal         sliding plate assembly to the diaper package at all times. The         UDPT is available from Matsushita Industry Co. LTD, 7-21-101,         Midorigaoka-cho, Ashiya-city, Hyogo JAPAN. Zip code: 659-0014.     -   A 850 g (±5 g) weight.

Definitions

-   -   As illustrated in FIGS. 7 a and 7 b, pad nose 142 is the outer         pad folding of an absorbent article and pad tail 140 is the         outer endflap end of an absorbent article.     -   As further illustrated in FIGS. 7 a and 7 b, stack length is the         average folded pad length 144 of 10 pads of diapers.

Apparatus Calibration

-   -   Raise the horizontal sliding plate away from the tester base         plate to allow stacks of diapers to be placed on the tester base         plate.     -   Move the vertical sliding plate (vertical plate that moves left         and right in a horizontal plane) to the left until it touches         the vertical anchored plate.     -   Set the digital meter located on the side of the horizontal         sliding plate to the zero mark.     -   Move the vertical sliding plate to the right to allow stacks of         diapers to be placed on the tester base plate.

Stack Length

Preparation

-   -   Place 10 diapers individually on top of each other on the tester         base. For taped diapers, the landing zone side is upwards within         the UDPT. For pants, the front-side is upwards within the UDPT.     -   Place the stack of 10 diapers along the folded pad length         (“nose” facing vertical anchored plate) on the tester base, such         that good contact is achieved between the stack and the vertical         anchored plate.

Test Procedure

-   -   Add the 850 g weight onto the horizontal sliding plate.     -   Allow the horizontal sliding plate to slide down slowly until         its bottom lightly touches the stack of diapers. Release the         plate such that the plate comes to rest on the diaper stack.     -   Condition the stack under the weight for 15 seconds.     -   Move the vertical sliding plate towards the anchored vertical         plate until the plate touches the tail of the first pad. Stop         moving the vertical plate as soon as it gets in contact with the         tail of the first pad.     -   Record the reading that appears on the digital meter.     -   Remove the 850 g weight.     -   Raise the horizontal sliding plate away from the stack of         diapers.     -   Remove the stack of diapers.

Calculation/Reporting

-   -   Report the determined value for stack length. At least five         samples (5 diaper packages having the same pad count) are         measured in this manner for a given product and the folded stack         length values are aggregated to calculate an average and         standard deviation.     -   Report Sample Identification, i.e. complete description of         product being tested (product brand name/size).     -   Report the Production Date of the measured package (taken from         package coding).     -   Report the Testing Date and Analytical Method used.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm”.

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An absorbent product comprising: a package having height, width and depth dimensions, an interior space and an exterior surface, the package comprising a film; a plurality of disposable absorbent articles, which are bi-folded and arranged to form a stack of disposable absorbent articles, wherein the stack of disposable absorbent articles is compressed along a compression axis and disposed within the interior space of the package such that the compression axis of the stack of disposable absorbent articles is oriented substantially along the width dimension of the package, each of the folded disposable absorbent articles comprising a topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet, a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet, a first waist region, a second waist region, and a crotch region extending longitudinally between the first and second waist regions, and a fastening member-adapted to releasably connect with a landing zone; wherein the backsheet comprises a thermoplastic film having an inner facing surface and an outer facing surface; wherein the substantially cellulose free absorbent core comprises a nonwoven substrate having first and second surfaces, an absorbent particulate polymer material disposed on the second surface of the nonwoven substrate and a thermoplastic composition applied to the absorbent particulate material, wherein the first surface of the nonwoven substrate faces the inner facing surface of the thermoplastic film; wherein more than 60% of the absorbent particulate polymer is disposed in a front half of each of the absorbent articles; wherein the absorbent product exhibits an In-Bag Stack Height from 72 mm to 80 mm wherein the In-Bag Stack Height is the width of the package divided by the number of the disposable articles per stack and then multiplied by ten; wherein the disposable absorbent articles exhibit a longitudinal bending stiffness of less than 355 N/m upon removal from the package; and wherein the thermoplastic composition has a softening point in the range between 50° C. and 300° C.
 2. The absorbent product of claim 1, wherein the absorbent product exhibits an In-Bag Stack Height of from 74 mm to 78 mm.
 3. The absorbent product of claim 1, wherein the absorbent core consists essentially of first and second substrates, absorbent particulate polymer material, and thermoplastic adhesive material.
 4. The absorbent product of claim 3, wherein the absorbent particulate polymer material is present in the absorbent core in an amount greater than 80% by weight of the absorbent core.
 5. The absorbent product of claim 1, wherein the disposable absorbent articles exhibit a longitudinal bending stiffness of less than 325 N/m upon removal from the package.
 6. The absorbent product of claim 1, wherein the disposable absorbent articles exhibit a longitudinal bending stiffness of from 285 N/m to less than 355 N/m upon removal from the package.
 7. The absorbent product of claim 6, wherein the disposable absorbent articles exhibit a longitudinal bending stiffness of from 295 N/m to 345 N/m upon removal from the package.
 8. The absorbent product of claim 1, wherein the disposable absorbent articles further comprise an acquisition system.
 9. The absorbent product of claim 1, wherein the backsheet has a thickness of from 0.012 mm to 0.051 mm.
 10. The absorbent product of claim 1, wherein the disposable absorbent articles comprise an acquisition system, wherein the acquisition system comprises the absorbent core in contact with an acquisition layer.
 11. The absorbent product of claim 10, wherein the acquisition layer has a maximum uptake of 10 g/g.
 12. The absorbent product of claim 11, wherein the acquisition layer has a minimum median desorption pressure (MDP) of greater than 5 cm.
 13. The absorbent product of claim 12, wherein the acquisition layer has a median desorption pressure (MDP) of less than 20.5 cm.
 14. The absorbent product of claim 13, wherein the thermoplastic composition is applied to the absorbent particulate polymer material forming a fibrous network over the absorbent particulate polymer material.
 15. The absorbent product of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the absorbent particulate polymer material is attached to a second nonwoven substrate.
 16. The absorbent product of claim 15, wherein the absorbent particulate polymer material of the nonwoven substrate and of the second nonwoven substrate is combined to form a substantially continuous layer of absorbent particulate polymer material.
 17. The absorbent product of claim 1, wherein the absorbent core comprises an auxiliary adhesive in the form of a discontinuous field.
 18. The absorbent product of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic composition comprise at least one thermoplastic polymer having a molecular weight of more than 10,000.
 19. The absorbent product of claim 18, wherein the thermoplastic polymer has a glass transition temperature (Tg) in the range between −6° C. and 16° C.
 20. The absorbent product of claim 19, wherein the thermoplastic polymer makes up from 20% to 40% of the thermoplastic composition by weight. 